“You don’t have to love me, but you will respect me, cause I’m a boss!”
She was the first girl to scream on a track, she switched up the beat of the drum and brought all the boys to the yard: yeah we’re talking Kelis and her hit single ‘Bossy’. The 2006 release is this week’s From The Vault selection.
After branching out from the masterminds behind her first three LP’s – the Neptunes – Kelis mixed things up, and begun working with different producers and writers, including Bangladesh and the ever in-demand Sean Garrett. Together the trio cooked up this gem of track.
The 808-driven cut (like its housing album, ‘Kelis Was Here’) was a marked departure from Ms Rogers’ previous material, aiming for a more “contemporary” sound in a bid to capitalize on her previous worldwide smash ‘Milkshake’.
Released in Spring 2006 as the launching single from ‘Kelis Was Here’ album, ‘Bossy’ managed to chart inside both the US Hot 100 and Hot Hip-Hop/R&B tallies at #16 and #11 respectively. It failed to achieve the same feat in the UK where it peaked at #22 but got to the 18th position of the Australian chart.
Though not as successful as the aforementioned ‘Milksake’, it remains one of the artist’s most recognizable songs and wouldn’t sound out of place alongside some of today’s Urban hits such as Rihanna‘s ‘Pour It Up’ or Kendrick Lamar‘s ‘Swimming Pool (Drank)’.
For the video, director Mark Klasfeld made the former Mrs Nas embrace her inner glamour diva, and she can be seen enjoying a pool party with her posse as well as rocking a cocktail reception all the while displaying some high-fashion clothes including THAT swimsuit. Put simply, the clip serves up edgy, tasteful, all the while looking like a magazine editorial.
With the Harlem-bred singer hard at work on her sixth album, the follow-up to 2010′s ‘Fleshtone’, we must admit that having loved her more electronic offerings, we’re praying she re-embraces, even for a few songs, the very musical style that brought her to our attention in the first place – hard-hitting R&B.
Either way it’s a given we’re in for a tasty treat whenever she’s ready to embark on the next phase in her career.
14 COMMENTS
OMG Just Google Kelsnetwork and see what happens to Nicki Minaj!
January 13, 2013 at 1:55 pm
This song was my jam back when Kelis was still relevant like Ciara
Report this comment
blacklover
January 13, 2013 at 2:53 pm
who is that in your profile pic??
Report this comment
OMG Just Google Kelsnetwork and see what happens to Nicki Minaj!
January 13, 2013 at 4:22 pm
ME! Who else….lol..its Mario
Report this comment
Chris
January 13, 2013 at 2:10 pm
Yaaaassssssss she was FAB in this video. Best she ever looked
Report this comment
Truth
January 13, 2013 at 2:12 pm
Kelis is coming back this year too. Omg 2013 will be an Epic year. Kelis may flop but her music is substance and unique. More than I can say for the generic Rihanna’s and Beyonce’s of the world. Kelis tackles every genre not just R&B, and the bitch did it wayyyy before these other hoes.
Report this comment
THE HBIC
January 13, 2013 at 2:12 pm
YASSSS THIS WAS MY SHITTTT
Report this comment
JuanR
January 13, 2013 at 2:12 pm
Loveee this song!
+the cover is fire!
Report this comment
King B>Rihanna
January 13, 2013 at 2:14 pm
I miss Kelis.
Report this comment
DAVIDE LAFFE(NYC NIGHTLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER)
January 13, 2013 at 2:45 pm
BOOOOOOO!!!! akways hated this song.. as a true kelis fan this was to mainstream bullshit for me. i like her original neptunes songs.. and her first two albums which alot of people font know about. i love her new sound… its difeerent and i think she found her lane .. id love her to be a more soulful and not so weird bjork
Report this comment
Cream
January 13, 2013 at 2:45 pm
This was my shit pops my dick and pussy yes bitches I have a dick and a pussy stay pressed.
Report this comment
PrettyPrissyPrincess
January 13, 2013 at 5:31 pm
When the girls stole Kelis style
Report this comment
Kyle
January 13, 2013 at 11:23 pm
2006 was one of my FAVORITE years in music. I miss those days so much. I was listening to “Kelis Was Here” the other day and thinking of how that was one of my most played albums during my freshman year of college. I hope Kelis comes out with something fresh and new this year. She is one of my all time favorite artists HANDS DOWN.
Report this comment
Trillafood
January 14, 2013 at 3:12 am
Kelis is the originator!
Rihanna team studied Kelis and try to make Rihanna a bad girl. Still to this day, Rihanna will never be as real and innovative like Kelis and bossy video speaks for its self. That video is almost 7 years old and still look fresh.
Report this comment
HeHaHeHa
January 14, 2013 at 4:40 am
I liked “Bossy” and her ‘bossy dance,’ LOL
I actually did not think this song was as mainstream as others seem to think so. Actually find “Milkshake” much more mainstream, not to mention Neptunes were at their Pop peak during its reign.
Ehhh, I wish Kelis would make a mash up album. Some R&B, some Alternative, some Dance Pop, and some Dance music.
I like’d quite a few songs off ‘Tasty.’
Report this comment